In Beltrami County District Court before Judge John Melbye:
Elaine Florence Johnson, 70, of Redby, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Aug. 31 for gross misdemeanor driving after cancellation as inimical to public safety.
She was granted a stay of adjudication with successful completion resulting in a...
Bemidji, 56619

Bemidji Minnesota P.O. Box 455 56619

2012-08-06 12:35:21

In Beltrami County District Court before Judge John Melbye:

Elaine Florence Johnson, 70, of Redby, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Aug. 31 for gross misdemeanor driving after cancellation as inimical to public safety.

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She was granted a stay of adjudication with successful completion resulting in a dismissal of charge. She must pay $100 and maintain a driver's license.

On Feb. 9, a Beltrami County Sheriff's deputy saw a vehicle traveling north in Durand Township with a broken rear passenger's side taillight. The deputy initiated a traffic stop and identified the driver with a Minnesota Identification Card, as Johnson. She said she had neither a driver's license nor insurance on the vehicle she was driving. A check of her driving privileges revealed they were cancelled as inimical to public safety in September 1987 and never reinstated.

She was sentenced to one year in jail, of which 325 days are stayed for four years. She must serve 45 days in jail; placed on probation to the courts for four years; pay a fine of $3,200 of which $2,500 is stayed; complete a chemical dependency assessment and follow all recommendations; not use alcohol or controlled substances; not enter bars or liquor stores; submit to random testing; not drink and drive; not drive without license or insurance and remain law abiding.

At 3:01 a.m. Aug. 27, a Leech Lake Police officer responded to a call regarding a party on the 19000 block of Mission Road S.E. Upon arrival, the officer observed a vehicle back out of the driveway and then stop. The officer identified the driver as Bellanger and observed the odor of alcohol and glossy eyes. She registered a preliminary breath alcohol concentration of .218. She was arrested and transported to the Beltrami County Jail where she refused to submit to testing "because I already took one." At the time of this complaint her license was revoked and she had one prior DWI.

James Dean Armstrong, 20, of Bemidji, pleaded guilty July 28 and was sentenced Aug. 31, for felony second-degree burglary of a dwelling.

He was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with Sentence to Service and 10 years of supervised probation. He must pay a fine of $1,111; restitution reserved; complete a chemical dependency assessment and follow recommendations; not use or possess alcohol or controlled substances; submit to random testing and searches; submit a DNA sample; not use or possess firearms or dangerous weapons and follow all instructions of probation.

At 12:48 a.m. May 8, a Bemidji Police officer was on routine patrol near the old Bemidji MnDOT building demolition site. The officer saw Armstrong and two other men acting suspiciously. The officer watched them discard several items in the grass along the fence of the demolition site and then walk away.

Michael Stately, 22, of Warroad, Minn., pleaded guilty Aug. 31 to felony second-degree burglary of a dwelling. The charge of felony fifth-degree sale of marijuana is scheduled for dismissal at sentencing. His next court date will be Oct. 12.

At 1 a.m. July 12, two men saw another man back his van into a driveway of an unoccupied home belonging to a relative of theirs. When they approached the van, the driver quickly accelerated and left the scene. The men entered the residence and found the house ransacked. A television, computer, shotgun and power tools were found to be missing. The vehicle was located on South Border Road. A search of revealed a battery charger and bench grinder. The driver was not located in the area, but shortly after, turned himself in. He was arrested and transported to the Beltrami County Jail. He was searched and the victim's checkbook was found in his pocket along with 80 grams of marijuana divided into 10 smaller bags of one gram each and $460 cash. He admitted to both the burglary and the possession and sale of marijuana.

He was sentenced to one year in jail, of which 365 days were stayed for four years; placed on probation to the courts for four years; pay a fine of $3,358 of which $2,750 was stayed; not use or possess alcohol or controlled substances; not enter bars or liquor stores; submit to random testing; not drink or drive; not drive without a license or insurance; remain law-abiding and complete treatment.

At 4 p.m. June 2, 2008, a Beltrami County Sheriff's deputy responded to a call near the 2000 block of Fern Street Northwest. A vehicle driven by Funk had been blocked in by a grappling hook device owned and operated by Bemidji Recycling. Funk was arguing about the price of scrap metal with an employee of Bemidji Recycling. The employee observed Funk displaying the odor of alcohol, slurred speech and poor balance. He intentionally parked the grappling hook device behind the vehicle to prevent Funk from hurting himself. The deputy arrived and observed that Funk had to lean against something to keep from falling. Funk said he was not the driver of the vehicle and identified another man. The other man was found and he said Funk was the driver of the vehicle. When asked how much he had to drink he stated "a few beers." He was arrested and transported to the Beltrami County Jail where he registered a blood alcohol concentration of .28. He said, "That's not bad" when given the test results. In a statement, he admitted to driving while intoxicated. He further stated that he had lost track of time because he had been drinking for approximately one and a half days. At the time of the complaint his driver's license was suspended for failing to pay child support, and he had one prior DWI conviction.

Leland Arnold Martin, 33, of Redby, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Aug. 31 for gross misdemeanor giving a peace officer a false name. The charge of felony fifth-degree possession of drugs was dismissed.

He was sentenced to one year in jail, of which 355 days are stayed for two years; placed on probation to the courts for two years; must serve three days in jail and given credit for seven days served; pay a fine of $3,111 of which $2,500 was stayed and remain law-abiding.

At 11:15 a.m. Feb. 21, a woman reported that her vehicle was missing from her driveway on the 3100 block of Jason Court. She said she believed her vehicle was at Pine Valley Trailer Court. The vehicle was found parked in a lot at Pine Valley. A Beltrami County Sheriff's deputy knocked on the door of the trailer and found a man at home. The man identified himself with a false name and was arrested for an outstanding warrant associated with that name. He was identified at the Beltrami County Jail as Martin, who also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The deputy seized one Vicodin tablet from his person. He had no prescription for this medication.

He was sentenced to one year in jail, of which 335 days were stayed for four years; placed on probation to the courts for four years; he must serve 19 days in jail; given credit for 11 days served; pay a fine of $3,105 of which $2,500 was stayed; he must not use or possess alcohol or controlled substances; not enter bars or liquor stores, except on Oct. 10, for his mother's wedding; submit to random testing; not drink and drive; not drive without license or insurance; remain law abiding and follow all recommendations of evaluation.

At 10:23 a.m. Jan. 29, 2007, a Bemidji Police officer responded to a gas station on a report of an intoxicated driver. The driver was identified as Pearson. He displayed the odor of alcohol, slurred speech, bloodshot and watery eyes. He failed field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath alcohol test. He was convicted of a DWI in 2004 and the sale and possession of controlled substances and two counts of underage drinking and driving.

Elden Kent Redeagle, 42, of Redby, pleaded guilty July 28, and was sentenced Aug. 31 for gross misdemeanor fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle. The gross misdemeanor driving after cancellation charge was dismissed.

He was sentenced to one year in jail, of which 365 days were stayed for two years; placed on probation to the courts for two years; pay a fine of $3,111 of which $2,600 was stayed; not use alcohol, not enter bars or liquor stores; not drink and drive; not drive without license and insurance and complete treatment at outpatient center in Red Lake; complete aftercare.

At 9:14 p.m. April 8, a Beltrami County Sheriff's deputy saw a vehicle with a broken driver's side taillight illegally emitting white light. The deputy initiated a traffic stop, but the vehicle continued to travel down the road at 15 mph and began to gradually increase speed. The deputy activated the siren, and the driver accelerated to 55 mph. The vehicle became stuck in a muddy section of the road. Redeagle said he had not been driving the car, that his cousin had been driving but fled the scene. There were no footprints in the mud and the deputy had not seen anyone exit the vehicle. Redeagle's license was revoked for driving after cancellation as inimical to public safety. He was arrested and transported to the Beltrami County Jail.

According to the criminal complaint, at 12:45 a.m. Sept. 1, a Beltrami County Sheriff's deputy saw a vehicle swerving back and forth in its lane. The deputy initiated a traffic stop and identified the driver as Amundson, who displayed the odor of alcohol, slurred speech and bloodshot, watery eyes. He failed field sobriety tests and registered a blood alcohol concentration of .18. He was arrested and transported to the Beltrami County Jail where he registered a blood alcohol concentration of .17. His license was cancelled as inimical to public safety and six prior DWI convictions.

On June 7, Rossbach was arrested by Beltrami County Sheriff's deputies after leading the deputies on a high-speed pursuit. He abandoned his car, and the deputies engaged in a foot pursuit. Rossbach gave himself up, and while be handcuffed, began to resist arrest. He also attempted to kick out the windows in the squad car and threatened to sue the deputies. He submitted a formal complaint alleging the deputies used excessive force by placing their hands around his neck. He also alleged that when he was handcuffed, the deputy punched him in the back and on the side of the head and said the deputies made racial slurs. A formal investigation was conducted by Chief Deputy Mike Bakke. He conducted interviews with each of the deputies and reviewed photos taken at the jail. He found Rossbach's report to be unsubstantiated. Rossbach admitted he lied about all of the allegations.

In Becker County District Court before Judge Peter Irvine:

Samantha Dionne Zornes, 34, of Bemidji, was sentenced Sept. 3 in Becker County District Court for felony terroristic threats.

Another felony charge of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon was dropped in a plea agreement.

She received a stay of imposition of sentence for five years and was placed on supervised probation; must serve 60 days in jail and pay a $700 fine plus court fees; get a chemical use assessment and have no contact with the victim other than to arrange child visitation.

On Nov. 30, Zornes twice tried to stab her boyfriend, Raymond VanWert, with a pair of scissors. He suffered long scratches down an arm from blocking the attack, according to court records. She told an officer she had stabbed him before, and that the two had been involved in domestic fights previously.